What do you think?
Rate this book
An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind
Surprising. Risky.
Daring to CHANGE the world.
Church just got really interesting!
In An Unstoppable Force, groudbreaking author Erwin Raphael McManus offers a vision of the church taking its rightful place. An unstoppable force created to change the world. A church that is active and engaged with its community. A church that dares to cut itself free from atrophied practices and programs to flourish in creative and compelling worship. Where teachers of the Word risk reaching out to our multi-sensory, multi-layered culture with music, the arts and other unique expressions of love and faith. A church that prospers in the life of Christ.
An Unstoppable Force will:
Challenge you to see God's vision for the mission and purpose of the church
Help you to explore specific changes in the culture that call for immediate change in the church.
Offer practical ways for your church to find its unique voice and identity to express Christ's love and faith to your culture.
Present interactive questions in each chapter to foster discussion about the life of your church, its focus on Christ, and how it can be a richer influence on your culture.
Daring to CHANGE the world.
Church just got really interesting!
In An Unstoppable Force, groudbreaking author Erwin Raphael McManus offers a vision of the church taking its rightful place. An unstoppable force created to change the world. A church that is active and engaged with its community. A church that dares to cut itself free from atrophied practices and programs to flourish in creative and compelling worship. Where teachers of the Word risk reaching out to our multi-sensory, multi-layered culture with music, the arts and other unique expressions of love and faith. A church that prospers in the life of Christ.
An Unstoppable Force will:
Challenge you to see God's vision for the mission and purpose of the church
Help you to explore specific changes in the culture that call for immediate change in the church.
Offer practical ways for your church to find its unique voice and identity to express Christ's love and faith to your culture.
Present interactive questions in each chapter to foster discussion about the life of your church, its focus on Christ, and how it can be a richer influence on your culture.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
60 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
About the author
Erwin Raphael McManus
53 books506 followersErwin Raphael McManus is an iconoclast known as a cultural pioneer for his integration of creativity and spirituality. He is an artist, entrepreneur, and cultural thought leader who is also the founder of MOSAIC, a community of faith in Los Angeles California. Known for their innovation, creativity, and artistry, MOSAIC has been named one of the most influential and innovative churches in America.
Engaging such issues as culture, creativity, change, and leadership, Erwin is widely known as a thought-provoking communicator, poet, and wordsmith. His travels have taken him to over 50 countries and he has spoken to over a million people from a wide variety of audiences, from professional sports, Wall Street investors, universities, film studios, and conferences across the world.
McManus is the author of Soul Cravings, Chasing Daylight, and other leading books on spirituality and creativity. His newest book is The Artisan Soul: Crafting your Life into a Work of Art.
Erwin Raphael McManus sees the imagination as the principle vehicle through which we create a better self, a better world, and a better future. He argues that creativity is both uniquely human and the essence of human uniqueness. Creativity, McManus contends, is a natural expression of our spirituality. When we are most fully alive we create out of love all that is good and beautiful and true.
Erwin has a BA in psychology from UNC Chapel Hill, a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Southeastern University.
Engaging such issues as culture, creativity, change, and leadership, Erwin is widely known as a thought-provoking communicator, poet, and wordsmith. His travels have taken him to over 50 countries and he has spoken to over a million people from a wide variety of audiences, from professional sports, Wall Street investors, universities, film studios, and conferences across the world.
McManus is the author of Soul Cravings, Chasing Daylight, and other leading books on spirituality and creativity. His newest book is The Artisan Soul: Crafting your Life into a Work of Art.
Erwin Raphael McManus sees the imagination as the principle vehicle through which we create a better self, a better world, and a better future. He argues that creativity is both uniquely human and the essence of human uniqueness. Creativity, McManus contends, is a natural expression of our spirituality. When we are most fully alive we create out of love all that is good and beautiful and true.
Erwin has a BA in psychology from UNC Chapel Hill, a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Southeastern University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 20, 2015
This was the first book I read in a long series of books that changed my thoughts about Christianity.
November 18, 2024
I could feel Holy Spirit through these pages
Before this book I read genius of Jesus which lead me to starting a two year spiritual quest of reading a chapters of Proverbs a day in English and in french.
Before this book I read genius of Jesus which lead me to starting a two year spiritual quest of reading a chapters of Proverbs a day in English and in french.
May 1, 2018
A lot about the author
September 4, 2019
One of the most inspiring books I've read on what the Church can be...
September 3, 2012
In An Unstoppable Force, author Erwin McManus offers a vision of the church taking its rightful place. An unstoppable force created to change the world. A church that is active and engaged with its community. A church that dares to cut itself free from atrophied practices and programs to flourish in creative and compelling worship. Where teachers of the Word risk reaching out to our multi-sensory, multi-layered culture with music, the arts and other unique expressions of love and faith. A church that prospers in the life of Christ.
New life comes into a church - an apostolic ethos - when it realizes its destiny is found in its early church origins. A living part of the body of Christ. Driven to find its uniqueness beyond being a cookie cutter copy of the “successful church.”
An Unstoppable Force will:
* Challenge you to see God’s vision for the mission and purpose of the church.
* Help you to explore specific changes in the culture that call for immediate change in the church.
* Offer practical ways for your church to find its unique voice and identity to express Christ’s love and faith to your culture.
* Present interactive questions in each chapter to foster discussion about the life of your church, its focus on Christ, and how it can be a richer influence on your culture.
Never settle for church as usual again! Let An Unstoppable Force excite and inspire you to be part of the Church that GOD had in mind!
Quotable Quotes:
At Mosaic, this is our standard of worship: a communion environment that is an encounter-culture and encounters culture.
When our hearts are good earth, there’s a great harvest.
When our hearts are joined to God, our imaginations can be the birthplace of the dreams of God for our lives.
When God dreams, reality forms. When we dream of God, we are both transformed and become agents of transformation.
You could not step twice into the same rivers. – Heraclitus of Ephesus
When the prophetic leader begins to expound the purpose of God, he begins to expose the heart motivation in God’s people.
A message born out of utilitarian pragmatism does not set the hearts of God’s people on fire. People need to know that the purpose of God burns in your heart, that people not only matter to God but also genuinely matter to you.
Yet I was reminded from the encouragement of spiritual men that what’s important is not that everything goes right, but that what you’re doing is right.
Great leaders create great problems. If you’re not willing to create problems, you’re not willing to lead. Leaders create problems by changing expectations. I guarantee that the only problems you will solve are ones that you engage, and the only problems that you engage are ones that you perceive.
You can energize an environment in which the best ideas emerge by allowing questions, affirming ideas that are not your own, and asking questions rather than giving answers. Perhaps most important of all is inviting people into the process before you get too close.
When you acknowledge failure for what it is, you gain the confidence of others as you speak on God’s behalf.
When a particular project fails and you acknowledge its failure but don’t lose hope, it does two things. It teaches your people that you are more committed to the purpose than you are to the particular project. And secondly, it demonstrates to them that you have integrity when faced with failures and successes.
To ask the hard question is simple. – WH Auden
The measure of an apostolic community is not in the legends created by heroic acts but in the quality and texture of what that community considers ordinary living.
On a practical level, this is what it means to hold commitment number one – to invest your passions for God.
When a person begins to invest their service out of a love for God and for people, it has a magnetic effect on those around them.
When we are afraid that the minimum is an unreasonable maximum, we limit the Spirit of Christ from working in the hearts of those who genuinely desire to be used of him.
When evangelism is not reserved for the elite, kingdom relationships become everyone’s responsibility. This is the radical minimum standard.
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought” = Basho
AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE
We are not only called to be changed and to embrace change, but to be the catalysts of change. - Erwin Raphael McManus
New life comes into a church - an apostolic ethos - when it realizes its destiny is found in its early church origins. A living part of the body of Christ. Driven to find its uniqueness beyond being a cookie cutter copy of the “successful church.”
An Unstoppable Force will:
* Challenge you to see God’s vision for the mission and purpose of the church.
* Help you to explore specific changes in the culture that call for immediate change in the church.
* Offer practical ways for your church to find its unique voice and identity to express Christ’s love and faith to your culture.
* Present interactive questions in each chapter to foster discussion about the life of your church, its focus on Christ, and how it can be a richer influence on your culture.
Never settle for church as usual again! Let An Unstoppable Force excite and inspire you to be part of the Church that GOD had in mind!
Quotable Quotes:
At Mosaic, this is our standard of worship: a communion environment that is an encounter-culture and encounters culture.
When our hearts are good earth, there’s a great harvest.
When our hearts are joined to God, our imaginations can be the birthplace of the dreams of God for our lives.
When God dreams, reality forms. When we dream of God, we are both transformed and become agents of transformation.
You could not step twice into the same rivers. – Heraclitus of Ephesus
When the prophetic leader begins to expound the purpose of God, he begins to expose the heart motivation in God’s people.
A message born out of utilitarian pragmatism does not set the hearts of God’s people on fire. People need to know that the purpose of God burns in your heart, that people not only matter to God but also genuinely matter to you.
Yet I was reminded from the encouragement of spiritual men that what’s important is not that everything goes right, but that what you’re doing is right.
Great leaders create great problems. If you’re not willing to create problems, you’re not willing to lead. Leaders create problems by changing expectations. I guarantee that the only problems you will solve are ones that you engage, and the only problems that you engage are ones that you perceive.
You can energize an environment in which the best ideas emerge by allowing questions, affirming ideas that are not your own, and asking questions rather than giving answers. Perhaps most important of all is inviting people into the process before you get too close.
When you acknowledge failure for what it is, you gain the confidence of others as you speak on God’s behalf.
When a particular project fails and you acknowledge its failure but don’t lose hope, it does two things. It teaches your people that you are more committed to the purpose than you are to the particular project. And secondly, it demonstrates to them that you have integrity when faced with failures and successes.
To ask the hard question is simple. – WH Auden
The measure of an apostolic community is not in the legends created by heroic acts but in the quality and texture of what that community considers ordinary living.
On a practical level, this is what it means to hold commitment number one – to invest your passions for God.
When a person begins to invest their service out of a love for God and for people, it has a magnetic effect on those around them.
When we are afraid that the minimum is an unreasonable maximum, we limit the Spirit of Christ from working in the hearts of those who genuinely desire to be used of him.
When evangelism is not reserved for the elite, kingdom relationships become everyone’s responsibility. This is the radical minimum standard.
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought” = Basho
AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE
We are not only called to be changed and to embrace change, but to be the catalysts of change. - Erwin Raphael McManus
August 2, 2007
1. A congregation reflects its leader(s).
2. Emphasis on beauty, design, art...the tangible to assist in a spiritual connection.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ began as a revolution, has become an institution and needs to beceom a revolution again; changing culture...not just trying to keep up.
4. Celebrate personal and congregational stories of faith (success and failure)
5. The church does not exist for its organizers.
2. Emphasis on beauty, design, art...the tangible to assist in a spiritual connection.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ began as a revolution, has become an institution and needs to beceom a revolution again; changing culture...not just trying to keep up.
4. Celebrate personal and congregational stories of faith (success and failure)
5. The church does not exist for its organizers.
October 10, 2009
I'm reading this book as part of a church study group. Some provocative ideas regarding becoming the church GOD wanted in the first place. Finished this book with frustration that church-life so often seems messy and almost dis-functional. Unless creative leaders are able to do the artistic work of pulling personalities and expectations together for actual community very little health is found in church life. This book is provocative and challenging of the status-quo. Good.
August 2, 2011
Hemos creido que la afinidad en la membresia del cuerpo de Cristo traeria crecimiento y ello ha creado una iglesia segregada incapaz de vencer el racismo y el aislamiento. Como formula ha fallado al entender un mundo postmoderno multicultural. McManus escribio un libro visionario en el 2001 que aparece hasta el 2009 en español. Cuanto tiempo perdido sin un recurso como este. Es indispensable como plantador y lider que lo leas y medites en el
September 12, 2020
Unstoppable Force Fuel for renewal
This book cuts through the fog of what is and shows the way to a Christ changed church and future. If you have been tempted to cynicism,disillusioned, and even embarrassed by the church you are part of or lead this book offers a vital, real and authentic alternative vision . The author speaks of what he knows and has the battle scars to prove it. Very inspiring! Insightful. Doable in Christ's power!
This book cuts through the fog of what is and shows the way to a Christ changed church and future. If you have been tempted to cynicism,disillusioned, and even embarrassed by the church you are part of or lead this book offers a vital, real and authentic alternative vision . The author speaks of what he knows and has the battle scars to prove it. Very inspiring! Insightful. Doable in Christ's power!
August 6, 2008
It took me a while to work my way through this one, not because it wasn't good, but because it inspired a lot of thinking.
The chapter on Spiritual Leadership is one every Christian leader, especially Pastors, should read. The Epilogue, chapter 10, entitled Radical Minimum Standard is a chapter every believer should read.
The chapter on Spiritual Leadership is one every Christian leader, especially Pastors, should read. The Epilogue, chapter 10, entitled Radical Minimum Standard is a chapter every believer should read.
June 11, 2008
I really liked some of the things McManus brought out here, but the divergence between his descriptions, his proscriptions, and what I know of Mosaic in Los Angeles are too disparate for my tastes. If you have innovative ideas, carry them through to their terminus! Let them subvert you!
Clearly, I'm biased here.
Clearly, I'm biased here.
November 7, 2013
Every believer should read this book. If you want to know how you can impact culture for Christ, read this. If you want to plant a vibrant God centered church, read this. If you want to be an apostolic presence in your work place, read this.
November 27, 2007
Best book on what God wants His Church to be I have ever read.
January 14, 2008
Powerful book, but I had trouble reading more than a couple of paragraphs at a time - too thought provoking. McManus is one of my mentors.
January 25, 2008
Great book for church leaders. Not necessarily just pastors, but anyone who is invested in furthering God's plan for the "C"hurch.
February 7, 2008
Best book ive read on movements and changing culture. I plan to reread this again soon.
Also has some deep insight into what it calls 'a radical minimum standard'
Also has some deep insight into what it calls 'a radical minimum standard'
February 22, 2008
A must read for anyone thinking about being involved in any kind of ministry!
July 25, 2008
Great read on rethinking church.
April 24, 2008
great for leaders in the church!
May 30, 2008
it's a church book, but it's still great. Erwin speaks my language or the language I wanted to speak before I had the words to do so.
A pivotal book in my rethinking faith.
A pivotal book in my rethinking faith.
August 17, 2008
had a hard time getting into it, but want to try again!
October 19, 2008
Excellant Highly recommend for the church.
June 3, 2009
This is a awesome book on church dynamics. It made me look at what "Church" had been defined in my mind and change that image to what church is really supposed to be.
Read
August 4, 2011McManus has incredible thoughts on how church should be done.
March 3, 2013
I read this book in 2002 and it helped me forge the structure and mission of the church we planted in 2004. I am very grateful for these pages...
Read
November 6, 2013Great book on planting a church that captures the heart of God's spirit for the people we're surrounded by. I have always loved Erwin's books and this one is great.
June 16, 2015
Exzellent book. Every church leader should read it.
August 26, 2009
Fantastic book... Mcmanus @ his best!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews